This invention relates to a mounting mechanism for disk drive motors and more particularly to a mounting mechanism for mechanically mounting and electrically connecting the motor stator of a disk drive motor to the printed circuit board of a disk drive.
A drive motor and its associated electrical systems constitute a major and important component of the record disk drive. The motor itself is generally comprised of three major elements: the stator, the rotor, and the spindle. The stator is generally cylindrical in shape and has disposed about its outer periphery stator windings. An electrical current supplied to the stator windings results in a magnetic field. The rotor holds field magnets which responds to the magnetic field and cause rotation of the rotor. The drive spindle is attached to the rotor and rotates the record disk used with the disk drive.
In many previous mounting apparatus, all three elements of the disk drive motor were supported by and mounted to a chassis within the disk drive. The electrical power and other electronic signals were supplied to the motor by relatively complex and expensive harnesses and cables. These harnesses and cables not only increase the cost of the motor mounting device, but also result in an inefficient and time consuming manufacturing process. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,558,245 - Glasauer et al; 4,197,489 - Dunn et al; 4,115,715 - Muller.
In many applications it is both desirable and necessary to monitor both the speed of the disk drive motor and the angular position of the disk drive motor relative to the chassis which supports it. In many applications the speed of the motor is determined using Hall effect devices properly positioned with respect to commutator magnets attached to the rotor. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,933 - Riggs et al. In other applications this information is obtained by including one or more unbranched conducting traces on a circuit board axially displaced with respect to the stator. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,076 - MaCleod. Other means for sensing rotor position are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,362 - Beasley. In each of the prior art applications disclosed above, the means for mounting the stator with respect to the drive shaft and the rotor is subject to long assembly times and high cost. In addition, the need to precisely mount the sensors associated with the motor in a disk drive has in the past also resulted in relatively high cost and time consuming assembly processes.